Silver Nights
by ToneOfEchoes
Summary: Shawn and Maya knew a strong connection between them existed. Seeing a mirroring fate for her, Shawn attempts to extend his role in her life, to be what he needed in his own. His choices have left him seeking distance from the ones he cares about, while Maya hasn't reached that point yet. He was determined not to let her fall without a little help to stand up again.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights reserved. Okay, so this is my very first writing for Girl Meets World! It's a one shot of Shawn and Maya bonding :) I really loved the dynamic these two had and I can already tell it's only going to get better! I can't wait for more in the show! After I saw the episode I had to write this and I hope you all enjoy! I'd love to know what you all think! R&R~**

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><p>Snow was slowly falling from the grey clouded sky, carrying the sensation of winter and seasonal inspiration to the ranging city of New York. The world was captivated by drawn exhilaration of holidays that spaced throughout the month. The entanglement of drifting white securely held her stare, firmly placing all thought aside when becoming lost in the blanketing veil of pale frost. It didn't silence the traffic or keep the wild containment of muffled voices at bay coming from the other room. It isolated the one placing her restless fingers on the rim of the windowpane before lifting it. Maya let a sigh desert her lips, inhaling the biting, icy taste of December's faint twilight weather as the breeze was freely let inside. Her knees laid against the sill when quiet footsteps were heard on the carpet, ones she aimed to ignore but found her curious stare had faced the other with little discretion.<p>

"I thought you were leaving," she stated evenly into the oncoming wind once her eyes cast her vision aside.

"I was… But I noticed you left first," Shawn replied, leisurely walking over, his gaze guided to the known escape route she created. It was one he used on many unneeded occasions. He wasn't accustomed to mending anyone's conflictions, but couldn't ignore what was spared within their locked observation. It was a mere second of deafening connection, a mutual aspect he was bathed in when he was young. She hadn't begun to fall away from her stability, fate hadn't decided to extend that push. It was disheartening to know it would target someone so unprepared, yet well versed. "I can guess where you were going to go though."

"Oh, yeah? Where?" she asked when confronting him again. It was then that she saw it too. The radiating detachment was felt. Maya tilted her head, her fingers gripping the edge of her jacket.

When she heard Riley's reasoning and listened to the vocalized purpose of forcing them to talk, she could sense the fierce reality presented in front of her weakening resolve. It wasn't reliable, to think someone else could possibly understand the uprooting currents batting against her mind or the inner turmoil and isolation her parents strung her along in. But the doubt rose suspicion from the grave she had dug.

"You might think like me, but you don't know me…"

He nodded, recognizing the minimal fact used to oppose his presence. "You were just going somewhere that wasn't here. Away from all this because back in that room is also something _you_ don't have." He paused, the words like acid leaving his mouth, delving into his own crafted definitions.

It took strength to observe and live in an environment where neither of them could thrive. He took a seat near the wall, his glare shifting elsewhere.

"It's exactly why I don't come around. They're happy and you can be on the outside, but oh man, that storm brewing in your chest makes it so hard to breathe sometimes. You got people at all angles trying to save you from self-destruction and people unintentionally dragging you down. And where does that put you?" He darted his eyes to the ground. "Not anywhere you want to be."

She sighed, her breath trapped in the arctic cold as she leaned her head back. "Good detective work. It must take a lot out of you to bring that out into the open, huh?" she asked, skepticism fluctuating in her drawn voice before steering the topic to another as her glance traveled the room. "That trip upstate was fun… I'm glad you invited me along. Two days go by pretty fast when home is right around the corner."

The matter of the subject was left wavering. There were more times than she would want to admit where she felt how he described. It was a torrent, a disheveling roar of an unyielding formation after that tempest appeared. Succumbing to it occurred without fault. Moving beyond it, she needed a little help in the art of persuasion. "I'll give it to you. You know more than I'm willing to admit."

"Yeah, I do… I guess we were both in denial for a while," he responded, watching the snowflakes flutter by. The weekend wasn't planned, having four kids tag along, but it gave him an unseen opportunity. He thought it would reflect his last visit, come and go with no transpiring connection. Riley and Auggie never had the chance to spend time with their wayward uncle who inconsequently chose to avoid them. Then there was Maya who he identified with. Her heart was praying for a needed peace from the noise in her head, just as his still continued to be.

He viewed the opposite buildings, the encircling ambiance being heightened but within the unsung harmony all he saw was the collision of his awareness. "It's pretty lonely out there, isn't it?"

"What is this anyway?" she questioned, peering in his direction. The mounted notion of their similarities were being tested through a battle of words, one she wanted no part of. "It's not a secret that you can probably see right through me, but why are you really here? All the sudden you want to… help or something. You should know it's not that easy. Besides, I have Riley for that. And she's my best friend, someone I'd never abandon like you did."

He pressed his hands together, inhaling the crisp air. It was a concealed experiment when bringing that up. "Fair enough. I deserve that. I've been on the run for as long as I can remember. What Cory has here, well, I knew I'd never have it. Riley knows I care about her and probably knew that for a long time but had doubts. That was wrong of me, to ignore what I was running from. But then again, that's Shawn Hunter for you."

His life was going well prior to losing Angela, before his father's sudden death, his dwindling contact with Jack, and evading Cory with his family life for years. It was his own acceptance of past experience that got him swept up in this hurricane. "I'm not trying to do anything… I only came up here to ask you something."

Maya locked onto his misgivings within his presented tenor. Her previous reply was harsh but true, being tempted in conversation. "Look, I get it," she said softly. "If you're like me, you're pretty good at seeing what no one else can." A swift hesitation struck her core as she decided to lower her defenses. She could see an inkling of what could only be described as regret surfacing in his wandering scrutiny. There was an enticing question to the shielded meaning behind it, but refrainment was forced. It was prying, something she didn't push. "What did you want to ask then?"

Shawn offered a trifling smile as flashes of his past determined to restore their image. It made him ponder if he was this difficult with others as well. He assumed as much. He could give those with extending hands a rough time of it. Others offered him a home and he nearly took off at any given chance before accepting the new roles they've created as family.

"Since you were on your way somewhere out there, I was wondering if you'd mind the company. I have a few hours to spare before my next job needs my attendance. And I couldn't help but notice that look in your eyes, the one that reveals the exact opposite of what you say." She shot him an inquisitive regard without responding, the thawed glimmer enough to let him in. "Yeah, I kind of caught the vibe."

"Yeah, I'm sure you did," she countered his challenge, a smirk added to the game. A stroke of silence rebounded between them after the passing correlation. It was nearly suffocating to know two complete strangers had mirroring lives. Maya wasn't sure what to think of it, considering how she used to be certain of the fact that he wasn't real for lack of seeing him. She took a moment to contemplate the other's proposal, climbing out the window, not sparing any indication. The chill embraced her as she tugged her coat closer.

"You coming or what?"

He raised his eyebrow. "My preferred method of leaving without a word through an always unlocked window," he said with a shake of his head, going outside. It brought back too many memories, ones he shoved aside for the diminishing time he had left in New York. There was never a place for nostalgia in the mesh of crossing paths.

"Lead the way."

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><p>A deep cerulean blue was visible in the wake of the night. On the verging horizon, the darkness was ignited by sparks of stars as flurries of snow soared on the light trail of wind. The thin layer left a path the two walked as the streetlights lit their unknown route. The below freezing temperatures were felt stinging exposed skin, allowing a sense of numbness to form.<p>

Maya let out a small laugh. "I can't believe you got away with that. I wouldn't even have the nerve to attempt it and that's saying something."

"You'd be surprised at how far nerve and a few experienced years of riding the line of authority can get you," Shawn said with a grin appearing. He took his hands out of his pockets, not feeling any provided warmth. "I pulled a lot of stupid stunts as a kid and I think most of them had to do with trying to get some attention or maybe to blow off some steam. I used to envy Cory when he got in trouble though." It was typically an unwarranted means to an end while unlawful deeds were used as a source of relieving stress inducing predicaments. "My parents weren't exactly there to keep me in line."

She breathed out slowly, the nipping breeze cold enough to freeze her words before they were dared to be spoken.

"So, what about your parents exactly?" she asked, meeting his observational gaze. She swiped a strand of hair aside, uncovering her hands. "You mentioned a little like I did, but not much else. I'm one of those people that need to know the other a bit more before accepting them, but I'm guessing you knew that."

She constantly tested her bounds with adults. However, Shawn had a place all his own, which she was finally seeing. It was drilled in her from a young age to undertake disappointments as they came along, never provoking them if failure was expected. She could place that in the other as well.

Shawn dragged out his sentence. "Okay, well, it's kind of a long story," he began gradually. Chet and Verna weren't a shared dialogue if he could help it. Conversely, he knew that was their connection, leaving a baited response to come along in aid. "Like I said, my dad was in and out half the time. He used to take off after my mom whenever she left. I was nine when this started happening. He'd be gone anywhere between a few weeks to a year. He'd come back, stay for a while, and then leave like he never came home. It made my trailer feel pretty empty even though he stuck around like he promised… Then came the time he kicked me out to live with my half-brother. I was so furious at him until I understood why. He was gone again for a long time after that."

He inhaled, bringing his indecisive glance to the greyscale sky. "One year later, I was in college and he returned again. We got into a huge fight. He had a heart attack because of it…. He didn't make it."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, examining the covered sidewalk. Death wasn't a consequence she had to face due to her parents' marriage disputes. "My dad left one day. He apparently didn't love my mom anymore and found someone else he could love. It broke my mom's heart and now she keeps busy with work. Or she leaves for a while. I don't know where she goes but she's great at pretending when others are around. My dad doesn't try to contact either of us. It's like he doesn't care about me anymore and who could blame him."

"He's your dad. He'd be a complete idiot not to love his own daughter," Shawn uttered lowly. "After I worked through all the confusing feelings my own dad left behind, I realized I was proud to have him as my father. I just wish he could have known that. But my mom, turns out she wasn't my real mother. She sent me a letter to finally let me know after I haven't heard from her in three years. So, of course, I try to find this woman who I didn't even know existed and I couldn't get in contact. She didn't want anything to do with me."

He glimpsed down, seeing a frown befall Maya's expression. "But I think I'm better off."

"Is that something you tell yourself or is it real?" she mumbled in question when taking her eyes from the shadowy street.

The amount of cars and people were diminishing as time dragged on. She still hadn't found a tactic to cope except through Riley, who made her feel as if she was part of a family. She wasn't sure if it was a revealing truth to her crumbling life at home, but in some instances it was all she needed. "I never feel like it can be true, not enough for me when I think about… where I stand."

He placed his arm around her shoulders. "You want to know something?" he inquired, catching her unguarded attention. "It might seem like blame is targeting you all the time, but if I've learned anything throughout the mess of my childhood, it's realizing I wasn't the cause. If I had figured that out back then, I could have at least saved _one_ of the many things I let go of. You're lucky enough to have your best friend who wouldn't abandon you if her life depended on it. Ifyou actually spare a little recognition to what's in front of you, you know to never take it for granted or shove it aside. It's like what someone really important once told me, you don't have to be blood to be family."

"That sounds like something you'd find in a fortune cookie," she said, her smile returning. "But yeah, I like it." The parallels were becoming an undisputable fact. There was a tangible layer of comprehension sinking in her head while wanting to flee from the lines of similarity but to some degree the other invented an undeclared barrier to the idea. She nearly brought the indication to a halt as it got to close to her insecurities. She felt the tension melt the moment he spoke. "I think having you here isn't such a bad thing after all. Then again, you're not one to stick around long, according to everyone else."

"Maybe I found a reason to come back more often," he realized. The pain he carried was a burden too vexing to release. Then there was the matter of that hole he still felt, like a part of him wasn't finished and the world could see right through it, immobilizing him.

The intoxicating matter was mentioned to only one other. If it hadn't been for Jon's level of concern for him, he wouldn't have turned his life around. Perhaps Maya needed the same kind of person. But he wasn't sure he could effectively fill the role for her, or if she'd be willing to permit him. But Turner had to plow through many defenses and inner working mechanisms of strife to reach him. Regardless, he successfully had.

Shawn stopped, taking out a piece of paper and writing on it. "Here. This is my number. I keep my cellphone on at all times. This way you can call me whenever you need someone that's not your best friend. Trust me, those times come around."

She took the paper, holding it for a brief moment before folding it and putting it in her pocket. It might be a feasible step at best but she's already banished the conflicts Riley couldn't offer guidance in, however, that didn't lessen the reality they postponed in the back of her stronghold. "Alright, Mr. Hunter, I'll acknowledge your existence. Just don't screw this one up. I could call you anytime, anywhere."

"Got it," he replied with a small chuckle. It was as if he connected back to a repeating cycle. He was aware, knowing he could swallow coming back here instead of avoiding it. Thirteen years was a long time to sever his ties.

It wouldn't quell the conflicted feelings he couldn't fix on his own without tearing down his structured lifestyle, but this might allow one form of commitment to bind him and let other issues have a chance to reform. "Call me Shawn. So, what do you say, Mini-me, we have a deal? We'll keep in contact?" He extended his hand.

"I can see that working," she said, clasping his hand in return. It was a process, one she felt brewing on the brink of her impulsive behavioral tendencies. More often than not, she wouldn't trust someone so easily. But he was different and with no conclusion to why other than their resemblance, she established it. It was a hurling test on both their ends to see if it was slightly possible to keep even a single vital agreement since replicated doubt lived in their very beings.

Shawn slanted his head. The wind brought a brisk chill towards them, rupturing the stillness. He knew Cory and Topanga would assume their leave due to the window being left open, but he had to return at one point. His job was another excuse to keep moving and endlessly evade. "Then I guess it's your move," he continued.

"And you'll never see it coming," Maya countered with a growing smirk after bringing her hand back to her side. "Okay, Shawn, let's make another deal in my own terms. You need to promise me something. Every time you get the chance to come back to New York, I want you to visit. Your family is here, right where mine is. It's only fair."

"Ah, something I'm pretty bad at. Keeping promises isn't my strong point. But there's a first time for everything. Okay, I'll keep my word," he assured. It was a weakness he inherited but change was apparently possible with enough influence to support it. "But keep in mind I travel all over the country. So, I'll make my best effort. Anyway, I think it's about time I get you home. It's getting late and I have a long drive ahead of me. I'm thinking of stopping at one of the coffee places up the street first. I'm assuming you want some hot chocolate before we freeze out here."

A slight nod was given as she turned forward. She could tell this was going to be an interesting turn of events. Their parallel parental figures was only the beginning of a long running link she could already predict. "Oh, so you can read minds after all," Maya joked lightheartedly. "_Yeah_, I'd like that."

They started walking again, their pace slow as he faced her. "_Yeah_, I thought so."

"_Yeah_," Maya breathed out with spirited determination as she brought her arms together due to the oncoming icy wind.

Shawn took off his jacket, still having a light one on underneath, and draped it over her shoulders.

"Okay."


End file.
